


Imagine My Surprise

by orionlethargy



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Blood Drinking, Friends to Lovers, M/M, The End Never Happened, Vampire Edd, Vampire Mark, Vampire Matt, Vampire Turning, Vampires, another vampire story ko??? yea, deadlines, what is this timeline anyway?????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-04 22:24:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11000244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orionlethargy/pseuds/orionlethargy
Summary: Edd gets attacked by someone late at night and Matt could swear those marks on his neck are awfully familiar. The vampire transformation process takes 24 hours. Matt has that long to see if Edd really is a vampire or if he's just being anxious. It has to be the latter, right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> if i make one more vampire fic i swear ill loose my brain  
> what else can i explain  
> uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh vampires am i right  
> why do i write so much vampire matt?  
> because i want him to bite me  
> longest damn description ive ever put cheers lads  
> YEA there will be more ill actually finish this

Matt awoke to yelling coming from somewhere in the house. The bad kind of yelling. Not the kind you want to wake up to. 

He stumbled out of bed, blanket draped around his shoulders, trying to find the source of the yells sleepily. He stepped into the front room and tried to let his eyes adjust to the light. He almost wished he didnt. 

Edd was laying on the ground, head supported by Tord, neck covered by Tom. The two were yelling to each other and Edd. Edd looked like he was passing in and out of consciousness. Matt was wholly confused before he saw the red that was staining Edd's hoodie.

There was blood blossoming out of a wound on his neck. The blood was covering a frantic Tom's hands. Matt snapped out of his trance and threw his blanket off, running to his friend.

"Edd!" He cried. "W-what happened?" 

"He just came home like this-said he was going to get groceries-I was up-stumbled through the door and collapsed." Tom spouted.

"Does he need a hospital?" Matt asked nervously, checking over his friend.

"The wound doesnt look too deep but-fuck, look at all this blood.." Tord said. "It looks like he was stabbed." 

"I'll get the first aid!" Matt said, running out of the room and to the bathroom. He pulled the first aid kit out of the cabinet and hurried back to his friends. It looked like Edd was coming back around.

"Edd, Edd, can you hear me?" Tom asked softly. He carefully moved aside as Matt brought a roll of bandage over. 

Tord was right, the wound wasnt to deep, but it was..weird. It consisted of two puncture wounds in his neck, decently sized. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach as he was reminded of the two marks on his own neck that he cleverly concealed with makeup every day. There was no way..

"T..Tooom?" Edd groaned.

"Yeah, its me. You're at home now. What happened?" Tom asked.

"C-cant....w'ssa man..m'sleeeepy..." Edd said tiredly. 

"No, dont fall asleep." Tord said, pinching Edd's cheek. His eyes fluttered open again. 

"Mm? Why?" He asked. He looked spacey.

"Because you just cant. Try to stay awake." Tord said. He lifted Edd's head a bit so Matt could wrap up his shoulder. A bit of blood still soaked through when he was done, but it looked alright.

"That should stop the bleeding.." Matt said. Tord carefully pulled Edd into a sitting position. Tord tapped his cheek lightly and he seemed a bit more awake.

"Edd, do you remember what happened?" Tom asked.

"N-not really..I was walking and..I guess someone came from behind me and.." Edd touched his wrappings gingerly. 

"Stabbed you?"

"I never saw a knife.." Edd said.

"But you never saw the person, either. Didnt you just say that?" Tord said. Edd shrugged. 

"I guess.." He said.

"Were you mugged?" Matt asked. "Tom said you went out for groceries, right?" 

"I dont think so..I never made it to the store." Edd felt around his pockets. "Nope. Everything's still here." 

"Why stab you if they werent gonna take anything?" Tom wondered. "Maybe it was just a sparratic attack. Like, spur of the moment."

"Then they lost their nerve." Tord muttered.

"Lets not worry about motives right now. The point is that Edd was hurt. Tom, you go call the police, ok?" Matt suggested. Tom nodded and went off to make the call.

"Edd, do you think you need a doctor?" Tord asked. Edd shook his head.

"No, I'll be ok..promise." Edd said. 

"Im still gonna keep an eye on you. For safety. Here, lets get you to bed." Tord said, carefully lifting Edd up.

"What about me?" Matt asked.

"What about you? Just go back to bed, Matt. Everything will be fine." Tord said. And with that Matt was alone. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. The adreneline was wearing off and he was reminded of how late it was.

He got up and decided to take Tord's advice by walking back to his room and crawling into bed.

He found that even after laying in bed for a few hours, he couldnt fall asleep. Who could after such a rattling event? 

But it wasnt so much the event that happened as HOW it happened. The way Edd was attacked. Stabbed twice in the neck..it didnt make sense. The marks were so close and similar that they couldnt possibly be back to back. And no WAY those punctures were made with a knife. They looked more like they were from a screwdriver or an icepick. Not very common murder weapons. 

Matt's hand wandered to his neck where he had his own puncture wounds. Bite marks. That looked so, so similar to Edd's..

He ran his tongue over a fanged tooth. It wouldnt make sense if Edd was bitten. Matt was the only vampire in his city he knew of. 

And it should stay that way. If there were another vampire, there would be problems. Matt had to be the unique one, the outlier, the specialty. If he wasnt, he..he..he didnt know what he would do. 

But there was no need for those thoughts. Right? Edd wasnt a vampire. He COULDNT be a vampire. And yet there was that little twinge out doubt in Matt's stomach..

To sate his own anxiety, Matt promised himself he'd keep an eye on Edd tommorow. He knew from experience that there was a 24- hour period in which the transformation process from human to vampire took place. If Edd really was bitten, Matt would know the symptoms. 

Tommorow couldnt seem to come fast enough.

And that wasnt just because of the fact a nocturnal creature like Matt was sleeping at night.


	2. The Nightmare Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh shit this isnt lookin good  
> uh  
> throw water on him   
> yea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hnnn nbnm comments are appreciated alot

Matt awoke as the sun streamed through his curtains. He stretched and yawned. He was the only vampire he knew who followed a human's sleeping schedule. He was an oddity for that but he liked it. He liked the fact he was unique in that way. He was special. Even if that special aspect of him made him really sleepy and made it harder to sleep at night. Anything for originality. 

He remembered the predicament with Edd and felt a little less calm. He decided to skip his daily beauty routine just for now for Edd's sake. He shuffled out of his pajamas and got into his normal getup, his purple hoodie and green overcoat. They complimented his hair nicely. Even if he could no longer see his reflection, he felt like he looked good. 

He went downstairs and into the kitchen. Not that he'd be joining the others for breakfast. He just liked the company. Plus it made him look more normal. He found that everyone was already up. Tord was sitting next to Edd, who still had bandages over his arm and neck. They looked like they had been changed, as they were free of blood. Tom was across the table from them and boredly swirling his cereal.

"Good morning!" Matt chirped, walking over to his friends and sitting down. He was the only one fully dressed. Tom yawned, his normal greeting.

"Morning, Matt." Edd said. His voice was hoarse and he sounded tired. He didnt look like he slept at all. He had dark circles under his eyes. 

"Oh, you dont look very well at all, Edd.." Matt said.

"Getting stabbed does that to you." Tord stated.

"I took him to the police station once he could stand on his own. We got a report filed and all that. He doesnt need a hospital but we have to change his wrappings daily. Once we got back, neither of us could sleep so it's been a very, very long night." Tom said. Edd yawned to punctuate this. 

"Oh, gosh.." Matt said. "Well, I suppose it's good you dont need a hospital. How are you feeling, Edd?"

"Tired," Edd said. "And weak. Kinda achey. I dont feel good at all, actually.."

"Are you sure he doesnt need a hospital?" Matt asked nervously. "He looks pale, too..sure the wound isnt infected?" 

Tord looked from Edd to Tom nervously. "Well, it didnt look infected last time I changed his wrappings.." He said.

"How do you know what an infected wound looks like? Maybe its infected and we dont know. Who put you in charge, anyway?" Tom snapped.

"I would know! Its not hard to tell if a wound is infected, Tom. And I put myself in charge as I was the most capable at the moment." Tord put a protective hand on Edd's shoulder. Matt could tell the tension in the room was rising. He was about to break up the fight that was about to happen when Edd did it for him. He grabbed his stomach and lurched forwards, giving a pained cry. Everyone froze.

"Edd? What's wrong?" Tord asked, trying to pull Edd back up. Tom jumped out of his seat and went to Edd's side and Matt did the same. Edd seemed to still be in pain.

"M-my stomach hurts.." Edd whimpered. Tord bit his lip in concern.

"Was it something you ate?" Tom asked. 

"No, n-no, all I had today was the cereal.." Edd said, gesturing to his bowl. But just looking at it made him feel more sick and he felt vomit rise up in his throat.

"I-I have to go!" He said, jumping out of his seat and running to the bathroom. Tord ran after him but was met with a closed door and just had to stand there as he listened to Edd throw up. 

Once Edd was done, he and Tord cleaned both him and the bathroom up before Tord brought him back to his room. Tom and Matt sat in silence at the table. Matt's eyes drifted to Edd's half-eaten bowl of cereal.

It might have just been nerves, Matt thought. Maybe Edd had a delayed panic attack from last night? Or maybe the blood loss made him feel sick? But neither of those made sense. The only possible cause Matt knew of was one he didnt want to admit to himself.

He knew from his turning that during the 24-hour transformation, your stomach wont process any food. Its changing to be able to digest blood instead. So any food you eat will leave you incredibly sick and with terrible stomach pain. 

The two men looked up as Tord came back from Edd's room. He looked troubled.

"I dont know whats wrong with him..hes still in pain and he keeps retching. I offered to bring him food since he had thrown up and needs to eat, but..he didnt want anything. Its weird." Tord said.

"Tord." Tom said seriously. "Are you absolutely sure you didnt see any signs of infection in Edd's wounds? You know a sign of infection is illness, right? Throwing up? Pain?" 

Tord's eyes went wide. "I-I..Tom, I really didnt. You can check for yourself. I swear. What would I gain out of lying?"

"I just really hope youre telling the truth. If Edd really does have an infection and you dont tell anyone, he may be in serious trouble. A neck infection is really dangerous." Tom warned.

"I know! I know..Tom, I'm Edd's best friend, I wouldnt want him to-! It sounds like youre accusing me of-" Tord said defensively.

"Im not accusing you of shit. All Im saying is that you need to take care of Edd, ok? This is really serious. Its not a fucking game." Tom said.

"I dont think it is! I-" Tord started.

"Stop it! Stop arguing. Tom, you know Tord isnt indirectly trying to kill Edd! If you think theres an infection, go check! Youre giving me a headache.." Matt snapped.

Tom huffed and stood up. "Fine. I'm going to check on him." He walked out of the kitchen, making sure to bump Tord on the way out.

"I have half a mind to give HIM a neck infection.." Tord growled, plopping next to Matt. "Edd's throwing up and he still finds a way to blame me for it, fucking asshole...you alright, Matt? Youve been staring at that bowl since i walked in." This snapped Matt out of his trance.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, just wondering what's wrong with Edd.." Matt said. 

"I think we all are. If he still refuses to eat or isnt getting better tonight, we're taking him to a doctor." Tord said. He was silent for a bit before muttering, "I swear it didnt look infected, I'm practically a doctor, Tom..so many injuries..damn trainees..itchy trigger finger, fucking gremlins.." 

"Tord." Matt said, and Tord realized he wasnt making sense. 

"Uhm-right, well, once Tom's done checking on Edd, I'm gonna try to make him eat again. He needs some strength back after what happened." Tord said. Matt nodded and he was left by himself as Tord went to do god knows what. 

 

After a few more hours of Tom and Tord going in and out of Edd's room, Matt got tired of waiting for answers. This situation was stressful enough and in the off chance there was a supernatural deadline attached to it, leaving Matt in the dark was not good for his anxiety.

He approached Tom as he walked out of Edd's room again.

"How is he? Is his wound actually infected?" Matt asked.

"No, it isnt..I guess Tord was right. I just kinda doubted him for a bit there. But can you blame me?" Tom said. Matt was silent, a sign of disagreement, and Tom cleared his throat. 

"Well, anyway, point is he isnt infected. Thats good and bad, because that means we have no clue whats wrong with him." Tom said.

"Can I see him?" Matt asked.

"Matt, hes not some patient in a hospital, you dont need to ask to see him..but, uh, he has gotten worse, so..be careful." Tom warned.

"Worse how? And 'be careful'?" Matt questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

"Just..go look." Tom said. Matt obliged and opened Edd's door. The room was dark and Edd was practically writhing on the bed, groaning in pain. His arms were wrapped around his stomach.

"Edd?" Matt asked cautiously. Edd's head snapped around and Edd gave him the most wide-eyed, terrifying stare Matt had ever seen. The intensity of it made Matt take a step back. But that look dissolved back into pain and worry when he saw it was just Matt.

"M-Maaaatt..." Edd groaned. "It h-hurts..." 

"What hurts?" Matt asked. He looked at Edd's bedside table and saw a sandwich left by either Tom or Tord. Totally untouched.

"Everything!" Edd said exasperatedly. "My whole body aches-my stomach-I'm s-so hungry.." 

"Why dont you eat what Tord left for you?" Matt asked.

"I cant." Edd huffed. "The smell makes me sick, but Im just so hungry.." 

Matt was forcibly reminded of his own turning again. The hunger. And the pain.

"Here, Edd..look at me." Matt offered. He carefully took Edd's head in his hands. Edd looked exhausted. He was pale, his forehead was coated in sweat, and his face was twisted in pain. Matt looked into his eyes, deep into his eyes. He expected them to be blood red but was delightfully let down when he found them to be the same calming green he'd known all his life. 

The old saying that the eyes were the windows to the soul came into effect too literally with vampires. Your eyes would change color dramatically during the transformation. Edd's should have changed by now..

"Okay, that was all I wanted to see.." Matt said. He sat down on the bed next to Edd and ran a hand through his hair. Edd calmed down considerably and stopped squirming. He leaned into Matt's touch. 

"You..smell good." Edd said. Matt raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" Matt asked.

"Just..good. I dunno." Edd rubbed his head into Matt's palm, mussing up his hair. "Hey..I kinda feel better now." Edd had stopped squirming completely. He looked a lot calmer. 

Matt's stomach dropped.

A vampire's scent was a big thing during transformation. If you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to be around other vampires when you turned, it was a lot less painful and almost easy. Vampires recognized eachother and marked their territory with their scent. It was a way to protect their loved ones and keep threatening vampires away. 

The fact that Edd calmed down at his smell was worrying. He had never done this before. 

"I-um-love to stay, Edd but I've-I've gotta go." Matt said, quickly removing his hand and getting up.

"Wait, Matt-! Ghhah!" Edd grimaced as the cramps returned and he clutched his stomach. "Please dont-MATT!" 

Matt turned around to see Edd's face twisted in anger and pain. Matt swore he saw Edd's eyes flash red for a split second. That was his cue to leave.

Matt quickly shut the door behind him. He was slightly reassured by the fact he knew Edd wouldnt have the strength to follow him. He retreated to his own room and ran a hand through his hair, sighing. This was hard. 

All the signs were pointing at Edd being a vampire.

All the signs said that Matt was in for one hell of a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> matts search history: how to undo a vampire bite? help


	3. He's Never Loved Another So

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when did this become a vampire rom-com ok  
> i love writing edd in pain :,((  
> i went to lush and licked 3 bath bombs   
> it was glorious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the bathbombs were terrible im sorry i lied they were so salty

The night was..hectic. To say the least.

It was absolute hell at dinner.

Tord freaked out when he wasnt able to get Edd to come eat. Tom scolded him and told him to 'fucking try harder if you actually care'. Tord looked ready to use his steak knife on Tom when Matt resolved the issue. Again. This was normally Edd's job and good god, he should be given more credit for it.

"Stop it! I got him to eat already! Its not Tord's fault, it was hell to get him to!" Matt lied. Tom and Tord both froze. 

"You did?" Tom asked, surprised. Perhaps he didnt think Matt capable of handling any problem. At all.

"When?" Tord questioned.

"A little after you gave him the sandwich. I got him to eat it after an hour or so..tricky little devil." The truth was that Matt had secretly thrown it away when no one was looking. He hated wasting food but he had a feeling that after this, a lot less food would be used up. Oh, the hell that would break loose when Tom and Tord had to split up the food..

"Oh." Tord said. His posture relaxed and he slumped back in his chair. 

"So, he is eating..do we still take him to see somebody?" Tom asked nobody in particular. 

"He has eaten, and that was high on our list of priorities.." Tord said. "However, he's still in a lot of pain. If it doesnt subside by tommorow.." 

"Have either of you tried giving him pain meds?" Matt asked.

"Twice." Tom huffed. "They didnt help a bit.." 

"Oh.." Matt said. "Well, are you..are you sure you just want to leave him all alone when he's in pain?" 

Tord looked at Tom. "We tried to stay with him but he just kicked us out. Both of us." Tord said.

Matt frowned. Not the answer he was looking for. So far, only a vampire could sate him.   
Shit. Matt didnt want to leave Edd alone during the night. He remembered how horrible it was when he was alone and turning. 

But the truth was that he really, really didnt want to stay with Edd. He didnt want to have to be in the same room as a freshly awakened vampire who was just getting ahold of his bloodlust. There was a very high chance he would get attacked and that would not be good for his stress levels. Not a bit. Stress caused acne and hed gotten two zits just from the day's events. Pretty stuck-up for someone who couldnt even see his own reflection. 

"Then we just leave him be tonight?" Matt asked. He promised himself that if Edd didnt come to him first, he wouldnt do anything.

"Not much else we can do." Tom said. Matt nodded solemnly. So Edd was his responsibility now.

 

Matt found it hard to sleep. He kept hearing thumps and crashing coming from Edd's room. He was worried. Really, really worried. This stage of the transformation was always the hardest. Half of him hoped Edd would come here for reassurance. Another half hoped Edd would stay put and it wouldnt be his problem. That sounded easiest. Not for Edd. Sadly. 

Matt found himself drifting off with his last thought that this was all up to Edd and whether or not he chose to come get him.

 

Matt was awoken by a frantic knocking at his door. Here we go. He looked at his alarm clock to see it was half past 2 AM. He got up out of bed and cautiously opened his door. Just a crack. 

Edd took that opportunity and threw the door open, knocking Matt backwards. He immedietly scrambled into Matt's arms. 

"M-Matt..everything h-hurts so badly.." He whined. He looked into Matt's eyes and Matt saw just how far gone he was. His eyes were tinted red and he looked pale and sickly. He was shaking slightly and true to his word, looked to be in terrible pain. 

Matt carefully picked Edd up and sat on his bed with him. Edd was twitching and jerking and still clutching his stomach. It was a really sad sight. Edd looked to Matt and gave another pained whimper. "Matt, I-I'm hungry.." 

"I know, Edd. Just.." Matt ran a hand through Edd's hair. He spotted a flash of something white in Edd's mouth. The hand in Edd's hair went right to his jaw.

"Edd, open your mouth." Matt instructed. Edd seemed hesitant to but obliged and opened his mouth wide. His canines were longer and came to a point. Edd jerked his head away and shut his mouth. Those teeth were still visible, jutting past his bottom lip. 

Fangs came in last.

Wouldnt be too long now.

Edd lifted his head up and sniffed the air. He giggled and a goofy smile spread across his face. It still managed to look menacing with his fangs poking out.

"It smells good in here." Edd said giddily. Great. He was riding high on Matt's scent. Matt let him have this moment of happiness. If it helped any with the pain, he would let Edd relish in his scent.

Matt shifted uncomfortably as Edd got up and wandered around the room. He just seemed to want to touch everything. Matt had to warn him not to touch his mirrors more than four times. Edd didnt even seem to notice his reflection was faint. He was transparent in the mirror. 

Matt glanced at the clock again. 2:45. He crossed his legs and put his head in his hands. He was really tired and he nearly fell asleep again. 

Not for long.

He opened his eyes when Edd started grovelling again. He had collapsed to the floor and was writhing. His face was twisted in agony. He felt like he was dying. In a way, Matt supposed he was. The transition from human to vampire was basically death. 

"Matt-Matt, Matt, help me-please-" Edd groaned. His voice was shaking. Matt uncrossed his legs and looked down at Edd in concern. 

"Wh-What do you want me to do, Edd?" Matt asked. 

"S-Something-anything! Fuck.." Edd stood on shaky legs and dragged himself over to Matt's bed. Matt caught him as he tripped over his own feet. He felt cold. Edd gripped at Matt's hoodie and whimpered. 

"Make it stop, make it stop-!" Edd begged. Matt didnt know what to do. There wasnt much he could do.

Edd pushed himself further into Matt's lap. 

"M-Matt..I'm s-so hungry..it hurts..please.." Edd looked up at Matt, eyes now completely red and shiny with tears. They glowed brightly in the darknes and illuminated his fangs. "P-Please h-help me" 

Matt immedietly wrapped a hand around Edd's neck and pushed him down onto the bed. Edd started thrashing around and screaming. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He was making frantic attempts to claw at Matt, the ends of his fingernails now sharp and pointy. Drool dribbled out from the sides of his mouth. 

Matt wanted Edd as far away from him as possible. These last few minutes were the most dangerous. Edd was flooded with new hormones and instincts and all he could think about was how hungry he was and how good Matt would taste. 

Matt understood how Edd felt. That horrible burning hunger. It wasnt in the stomach, persay. It was inside every part of you. It tore you apart from the inside out. 

This sympathy, however, was not enough to stop him from restraining Edd. 

Edd was making a lot of noise. His arm swung and knocked the lamp off of Matt's dresser. The loud sound of it cracking made Matt wince. He had to stop this. Now. 

Sate him, sate him, how was he supposed to sate a vampire? The only possibility in his mind was to attack his weak spot. It wouldnt be so much sating him as it was SEDATING him. 

Matt just hoped Edd could forgive him.

He moved the hand around Edd's neck to pin his wrists to the bed and clambored on top of Edd, holding his legs down. Edd was still screeching and growling. Matt took a breath in and plunged his head into Edd's neck. He opened his mouth and bit firmly around the area of his bite mark. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to hurt.

Edd loud out a horrible, blood-curling scream. Matt was sure the neighbors could hear him. Edd seized up and arched his back, completely still. He choked a bit before falling back to the bed. Totally limp.

Matt heard footsteps pounding down the hall and had no time to react before the door to his room flew open and both Tom and Tord were pushing their way into his room. 

"Matt, wh-?" Tom froze mid-sentence. Matt's head was still buried in what Matt was sure looked like a dead Edd's neck. Matt quickly picked his head back up and Tord took a step back. Matt nearly slapped himself when he remembered that his eyes glowed red in the dark. Not only that but he knew his fangs were visible at the moment.

"...what the fhh.." Was all Tom managed to mutter out. He looked close to pissing himself. 

"I-uhm-I can-" Matt stammered. This wasnt looking good for him. 

"What did you do to him?" Tord asked slowly. 

"Tord, I never-" 

"You bit him." Tord said. 

"No, I-!"

"M..Matt..?" Came a soft voice. Matt looked down under him and saw that Edd was stirring. His eyelashes fluttered a few times before he wearily opened his eyes. They looked human. Almost. Those flecks of red were hard to miss. His face was covered in sweat and drool and tears. Matt could still see the fangs poking past his lip.

3:00 AM.

"Ff...whu'happen?" Edd asked groggily, raising a hand to his head. He could feel a headache coming on. He felt something in his mouth and licked across his teeth with his tongue. Huh. He swore his teeth werent that sharp before.

"Uh..I'll..get to that later. How are you feeling?" Matt asked.

"Weird. Not bad, just..tired. I feel alot lighter." He said. He licked his teeth again. "Im hungry." 

Matt was quiet for a minute. "I'll take care of that later. Uh-whats the last thing you remember?" 

"I was in my room and in a lot of pain and everything sort of..faded to black. Then I woke up here. Matt, what happened?" Edd asked.

"I think we'd all like to know that." Tom spoke up. 

"What I want to know is why you were biting Edd." Tord sneered, walking over to Edd and inspecting him. He zeroed in on Edd's fangs and his eyes narrowed into angry slits. He looked back at Matt and growled.

"You fucking infected him. You-TURNED him." He snarled.

"Tord, stop it, I wasnt-" Matt said in a hurt voice.

"Stop lying, you fucking monster." Tord snapped. "You turned Edd into a vampire!"

"You-what?!" Edd cried, clasping a hand over his bite mark. He felt it in fear. Tom was looking back and forth dumbstruck.

"No! Tord. Stop accusing me of that! Let me explain. Please." Matt insisted. Tord looked hesitant but obliged.

"Theres a lot to say...I'll try to get the basics down. So, when Edd was attacked, he was bitten by a vampire. Not me! I was asleep before he got home. I swear, I thought I was the only vampire in England before this. I didnt know if he was really bitten or not so I just kept an eye on him for a little." Matt explained.

"So..if you knew Edd was bitten, why didnt you say anything? Or like, try to help him?" Tom asked.

"I didnt want to freak him out. Not like he'd believe me, anyway. And once you're bitten, its irreversable. You just have to let it happen. Since I couldnt tell Edd what was happening to him, I couldnt help him. He would have to come to me if he wanted any help." Matt said. 

"Oh." Tord said awkwardly. "Um..sorry for accusing you, Matt." 

"No hard feelings." Matt reassured him.

"Wait, I still dont get something. Why were you biting him just now?" Tom asked.

"Yea..why were you?" Tord questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I was trying to help with the pain..your bite mark is the most sensitive part of you, I figured I could knock him out until the transformation from human to vampire was over. I had no idea he'd scream like that, though." Matt said. Edd looked at the ground sheepishly. 

"Thanks for the blackmail material." Tom grinned. Matt frowned and instinctually put a hand over his bite mark.

"Im still really confused." Edd said. "So I'm a vampire now? Will I have to get my own blood? What-"

"I think you should explain everything in the morning, Matt. When you're more capable  
of doing so." Tord suggested.

"Good idea. Im really tired.." Matt said.

"Wait a minute, vampires are nocturnal. How can you be tired?" Tom asked.

"My sleep schedule is really messed up." Matt said.

"If you were a human, it'd be completely normal." Tord teased.

"We need to discuss that little detail, too. Living with two vampires introduces a lot of new rules." Tom said.

"In the morning. Please." Edd said. "My humanity was just ripped away. If anyone is tired, it's me." 

"I dunno how any of you can sleep after this." Tom shook his head. "But you can have at it, if you like." He trudged out of the room.

"You're gonna answer our questions tommorow. Seriously." Tord said.

"I know, I know." Matt waved him off. Tord gave him one last look before walking back to his room.

"Do you want to go to bed too, Edd?" Matt asked. Edd shook his head.

"No, I wanna stay with you." Edd wrapped his arms around Edd's neck and pulled him down to join him. Edd was never usually this cuddly. Matt figured he could redo their previous cuddling attempt now. He pet Edd's head and the smaller man hummed. He snuggled himself into Matt's chest. 

"Mm..you're comfy. Not warm, but..I don't mind." Edd said contently. 

Matt smiled as Edd rolled over more to face him. Matt thought he looked beautiful with his eyes glowing in the dark. He pressed a soft kiss to Edd's forehead, his fangs just grazing the skin. Edd would blush if he still had the ability to.

"Edd..are you mad that I didnt tell you about your bite sooner? Er, at all?" Matt asked timidly.

"No, no, not at all. You were just looking out for me. And Tom and Tord. I cant be mad at that." Edd said. "Now, I have a question for you. Do we really live forever?" 

"Mm. As far as I know." Matt said.

"I dunno if I can handle that..a life without an end isnt really a life, is it? But if its with you..maybe it isnt so bad. What if we get tired of eternity?" Edd said.

"We deserve a soft ending, my love. To chase a hard life. And if it comes to that, Ill be more than happy to write it for us." Matt said.

"You poetic dork." Edd laughed. But he still let Matt run a hand through his hair. "Id like that. If you could do that for us." 

Matt held Edd closer to him. He thought Edd was asleep before he suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, you smell pretty good."


	4. Done In Such A Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tords a fucking asshole  
> writing this was rlly hard?? i may take like a 2 day break forgive me lol  
> im recovering from the fucking. bath bomb eating  
> they were delicious

Matt remembered his own turning well.

How long had it been? Eight years? His memory wasnt the best. But there was no forgetting what happened on that night. 

He had been walking alone down an alley. Maybe it was a holiday? No way to tell for sure. But he had been out celebrating late at night. Someone approached him from the other side of the alley and next thing he knew, he was on the ground with two holes in his neck. Matt could remember exactly what happened after that..

His neck was throbbing. He could feel warm blood drenching his shirt. He choked and gasped for air. He struggled to get up from the ground, vision blurring. His center of balance was practically non-existant and he ended up falling back down to the concrete. He looked around blearily to see his attacker was gone.

"H-Help!" Matt cried weakly. He propped himself up on his elbows. Everything was spinning. Black spots started clouding his vision. He was probably gonna pass out from blood loss. 

Matt blinked dully, wondering if he could make it to a hospital when the blood loss took ahold of him.

 

He awoke with a start, eyes flying open. He choked and tensed up. Oh god. He was in so much pain. Every part of him ached and the throbbing in his neck was worse than ever. He groaned and struggled to sit up. He put an arm over his stomach and hissed. Matt reluctantly removed the arm so he could drag himself over to sit against the wall. He looked up at the sky. It was a vibrant orange, speckled with purple and red. Sunset. So it was the next day..? How long had he been out? 

He needed to get home..he had been laying in an alley all day and he was sure that Edd and Tom were worried about him. But the pain kept him glued to the ground. It was almost hard to breathe and he couldnt stop himself from whimpering. He carefully moved a hand to feel around his neck and quickly withdrew it as the area stung. 

Matt was hit with another wave of cramps and nearly doubled over, clutching his middle and whining. He wanted to cry. It was just that bad. He needed to get to a hospital..but the pain rendered him helpless. He was really hungry but there was no helping that, either.

Matt sat there and watched the sky turn from orange to purple to a deep blue. It was nightfall. 

The pain that had coursed through him had only gotten worse and he just couldnt stand it anymore. He didnt try to stop himself as he sobbed. He lost the strength to support himself any longer and had fallen onto his side. His breathing was shallow and low. He was so hungry..

As Matt clenched his jaw with another wave of agony, he felt something strange in his mouth. He carefully opened his mouth and felt around. 

What were those? Fangs..?

He had no time to question it as his whole body seized up and he felt like he was on fire. He choked as tears rolled down his face. A burning, squeezing pain enveloped him. He had never felt anything like this before. It was hell. He wished he wasnt here, he wished he was dead, hed rather be dead than face this a second longer.

Matt realized he had started screaming but couldnt stop himself. Tears rolled freely down his face. He felt too much and not enough all at once. He wanted to claw and fight and kill and eat. All the scents around him were far too much and everything was swirling and-

And it was over. He regained control of his limbs and he went limp, chest heaving. Matt stared up at the starry sky. His vision was still blurry with tears. He felt different. Hollow. But at least he wasnt in pain. 

He was so, so hungry..and the one thing he was craving..He swallowed hard and tasted nothing as he thought of how good even blood would taste right now. Once he started thinking about it, he couldnt stop. He wanted blood. Craved it. NEEDED it. 

Matt let out a shaky laugh as more tears rolled down his face and his stomach growled, yearning for blood.

What was happening to him? 

XXX

 

"So..when did you plan on telling us you were a vampire?" Tom asked. The four were sitting at the breakfast table. Edd was next to Matt was and cuddling up to him. All Edd had wanted to do all day was be close to Matt. Matt had no idea his scent would be so captivating but he's not complaining. Edd had never been so friendly with him and this newfound affection was more than welcome.

Matt shifted nervously, thinking the question over. "Um..is 'I never planned to tell you' an acceptable answer?" He asked timidly. 

"Seriously? Did you not once think that the fact you're a vampire would interest us?" Tord said. Matt shrugged.

"It just didnt really seem important! I didnt want to drag you into my problems..feeding and all that mess.." Matt said.

"Speaking of feeding.." Tom said, looking at Edd. Edd hugged Matt harder.

"Yeah..um, you all know the legends. Vampires bite people and drink their blood. I've..been doing it for years and now Edd has to as well." Matt said. The topic was obviously making him uncomfortable. He didnt want his friends to think he was monster.

"So, no more human food for him? What the hell do we do with all the cola??" Tom asked. Edd squeaked in shock as he realized he couldnt drink cola anymore.

"No more cola?" He asked fearfully.

"Well, you dont have to stop, neccesarily..vampires arent supposed to eat human foods because it disgusts them. Its like the sight of blood to some people. Wait, no, bad analogy..it's just gross to us. As for drinks, however.." Matt explained. Edd looked at him expectantly. 

"I dont think there's any rules about that." Matt finished. Edd grinned. "But all the actual food is all yours now, Tom. Tord. Good luck with that." 

"So we have to divide all this shit up between us?" Tom asked. 

"Sadly." Matt said.

"Dont starve each other, ok?" Edd frowned. 

"No promises." Tord said, winking. "So, back on topic. Edd now has to drink human blood. How is he supposed to get it?"

"He has to go out and feed. Bite people. Ill be with him every time, you dont have to worry about safety." Matt said.

"And the cycle of infection continues." Tom said.

"I mean, it's life or death, Tom. Its not like we can control whether or not we infect people. I dont want to or anything, but.." Edd said. 

"You dont HAVE to infect people. No one Ive bitten has became a vampire because I didnt give them the chance to. I killed them." Matt said. Silence followed his statement. Everyone looked slightly unnerved.

"Did-did that not register until now??" Matt cried exasperatedly. "I'm the only vampire in England, you have to realize there's a reason behind that! Killing is merciful, anyway. We arent increasing our numbers. Less vampires, less deaths." 

"Murder. Whoo." Edd said anxiously.

"Wait, wait, something isnt adding up here, Matt. How can you be the only vampire in England if someone else bit Edd?" Tord said.

Matt's eyes went wide. 

"I-I never realized-oh no, youre right.." Matt said. Darn his lack of intellegence.

"Considering both Edd and your attacks, there are at least four vampires." Tord said. 

"Great." Edd groaned. "Im part of the problem." Matt huffed. He felt a strange twist in his gut as he realized he was no longer the only vampire and no longer special. He wasnt mad at Edd, though. He was mad at the fact he thought he was special all along but he was actually, apparently, one of four. He felt tricked. Still..one of the only four in England wasnt bad.

"So..feeding aside, what cool things can I do as a vampire?" Edd asked.

"Oh! Not so cool, but you cant go into direct sunlight..cloudy days are fine, though. Honestly, its not as bad as movies make it seem. All you need is some strong sunscreen." Matt said. "As for powers..hm.." 

"Can I turn into a bat?" Edd asked excitedly.

"Yes! You sure can. Plus you have super strength!" Matt said.

"But Edd's already strong. No fair." Tom said. 

"How about I demonstrate my new strength by throwing you off the roof?" Edd teased.

"You and what sunscreen?" Tom snapped. Edd crossed his arms.

"Wait, why do you two need to feed when Tom and I are right here?" Tord asked.

"Huh?" Tom asked.

"Why dont we just give you blood?" Tord pulled down his shirt to expose his neck. "Look, just have at it." 

"There are..many problems with that. One, we can't bite you. For obvious reasons." Matt said.

"Two, we just dont want to! You're our friends. Tom doesnt look to happy about the idea of us feeding on you." Edd said. Tom did look a little frightened. 

"Three, it isnt smart to feed on someone you live with or see alot. You start craving their blood and you just..start seeing them as a meal. Its practically suicide. It just wouldnt work out, Tord." Matt said. 

"Aw, cmon! It wouldnt be the first time you tasted my fluids, Edd." Tord said. Edd was fucking grateful he had lost the ability to blush because he was sure hed look like a damn tomato. 

"...Anyway." Matt said. "Since Edd is freshly awakened as a vampire, he needs to feed soon. What do you say we go out tonight, Edd?" Matt asked.

"Where? Like, to a bar?" Edd asked.

"Sure. Somewhere highly populated." Matt said softly. "We'll share someone, ok?"

"Sounds good. You can show me the ins and outs of murder." Edd laughed bitterly. Matt frowned and leaned in closer to Edd's ear.

"Come on, love. It can be like a date. Just you and me? Hm?" Matt murmured. Edd shuddered as Matt's breath ghosted over his neck. 

"W-woah there, Matty..not in public, not in public." Edd mumbled. "That..does sound nice, though." 

Matt smiled. Tom and Tord looked at each other. Tord's head was whirring with ideas. Tom just wanted a drink. It was too early for creatures of the night. Then again, it was too early to drink. What luck.

 

It was nearing evening and Edd was getting ready in his room. This event wasnt fancy at all, but he still felt he should look nice for a date with Matt. He looked into his mirror and saw..nothing. He supposed he shouldnt be so shocked.

He smoothed his hair down as he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in!" He called, expecting it to be Matt. He was thoroughly surprised when Tord stepped into his room.

"Oh, hey, Tord. Whats up?" Edd said. It was a secret between him and Tord, but the two used to date. They broke up peacefully and neither felt any resentment towards the other. They were still great friends. But if the topic of romance or sex came up while they were near each other, things got awkward. 

"Look, Edd..I know Matt is against it..but.." Tord closed the door behind him and looked at the floor nervously.

"It really would make things easier if you just fed off me." Tord pulled the top of his hoodie down so Edd could see his neck.

"Tord, no.." Edd said, eyebrows knit together in concern. "You heard Matt, it would screw up my perception of you.."

"You know, you dont always have to take his word as law. You are your own person. He shouldnt be making decisions for you." Tord snapped.

"He-he doesnt! Tord, stop it." Edd said. 

"I, for one, think that you drinking my blood would be quite beneficial. We'd be a lot closer. Wouldnt you agree?" Tord took a pocket knife from his hoodie sleeve and carefully cut his finger.

Edd smells the puff of fresh blood and cant help but groan. He watched the blood trickled down Tord's finger in almost a trance-like state. He licked his lips and slowly walked over to Tord. Edd took Tord's hand into his own and raised it close to his lips. He stared at it longingly. 

Tord was waiting for that warm mouth on his finger, to feel Edd suckling at the cut.

Tord knows that Edd and him are over but can't help but think Edd looks adorable. He starts longing for the days when this would be nothing more than foreplay. He wants to connect to Edd again. Tord hoped there was some small chance that he could get back with Edd. Stupid, isnt it? 

Edd poked his tongue out a bit and looked ready to lick up Tord's blood when he suddenly squeezed his eyes shut. He shook himself out of it and stepped away from Tord, letting his hand go.

"T-Tord, I can't.." Edd said.

"Edd-" Tord started.

"I-I have to go. Matt's waiting for me." Edd said, pushing past Tord and quickly leaving the room. Tord stared at the door for a few seconds. He balled his fists and gritted his teeth. He felt betrayed. Led on. Angry. 

You pushed this onto Edd, you werent led on for shit, he told himself. Stop chasing whats already gone.

He wiped away angry tears before they could fall and stormed out of Edd's room.

Edd walked to the front door where Matt was waiting for him. Matt smiled when he saw him. But he went from happy to concerned when he noticed's the distress in Edd's scent.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked softly. Edd pushed himself into Matt's arms and his scent improved.

"Nothing. Im just nervous about tonight." Edd lied. Matt pressed a kiss to Edd's cheek. 

"Theres nothing to be nervous about. I'll be right by your side all night. I'll catch the prey and bite them for you. You dont have to do a thing if you dont want to, love. We'll be back before midnight. Alright?" Matt reassured him. Edd nodded hesitantly.

"Good. Now let's have a great night."


	5. The Source Of The Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shits goin DOWN  
> hi im in florida  
> I have drowned 4 times already its great  
> I think this will have like. One more chapter? Mannn idk  
> Im uploading this via ipad so if theres any problems shoot me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh i just realized there is like. NO timeline here bc tord and mark. Um. ok assume the end never happened and tord just came back becsuse hes a Good Friend

Edd couldnt be more uncomfortable.

The bar was loud and crowded. The space managed to be too dark and too bright at the same time with all of its flashing lights. It reminded him more of a rave than a pub. The music from the dance floor was so loud he could feel it pounding in his chest.

He hated bars. It was absolutely un-Edd like to be here. Why was he here again?

Matt squeezed Edd's hand, sensing his anxiety. Oh. Right. Edd's heart fluttered in his chest. He supposed if Matt were here, everything would be alright. Matt would never let anything bad happen to him.

Matt somehow found two empty barstools and the pair sat down. Matt was already scanning the crowd for a potential victim. Edd shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The air was rich with the smell of human blood due to the many bar-goers. Edd never really liked how bars smelled, but with the whole place smelling like a buffet now, he guessed it was alright. 

Then he caught a whiff of something else. It was salty and tangy. Familiar. Edd scrunched up his nose in disgust as he recognized the smell. Okay, people were definitely fucking in here. The bar lost its appeal all over again and Edd just wanted to find someone and get out of here.

Edd nearly jumped as someone tapped his shoulder. Edd smelled something new, something distinct. It was kind of like a perfume. Matt was too caught up in searching for a meal to notice the man who had come up to Edd. Until he spoke, that was. 

"Ah, Edd. Didnt expect to see you in a place like this. And with company like..that." The man drawled, gesturing to Matt. Matt's head snapped back and when he saw the man, he glowered.

"Mark." Matt grumbled.

"Matt." Mark said simply. 

The two neighbors didnt look very similar but there was still this..uncanny valley between them. They had very intertwining interests, the same friends, even a bit of the same fashion sense, color-wise. What clashed was their personalities. 

Mark had this self-proclaimed regal air over everybody and it drove Matt nuts. He always had a one-up on him. Mark was haughty. A real diva. Matt was actually kind and sweet, if a bit dull. Their relationship was actually quite alike Tom and Tord's. A point where they were so similar, there were only two outcomes: lovers or rivals. 

Edd thought the real joining point between Matt and Mark was that they were both narcissistic jerks. Skip the psychological bullshit. 

"I never thought either of you the type to hang out in bars. That's more of Tom's strong suite. How many bottles is it a day, now? Six?" Mark said. 

"None of your buisiness." Edd said. "We're just out having a nice time, thank you. And we'd like to get back to that." 

"A nice time? Surely not with Matt? If you'd really like to know a nice time, well.." Mark's hand drifted uncomfortably close to Edd's bite mark. Thank god for Matt's makeup skills. "...Eduardo and Jon arent home tonight." 

Matt slapped Mark's hand away and glared with a firey hatred Edd had never seen before. "Dont touch him." He snarled, baring his teeth. Long and sharp. Threatening. 

Edd felt his heart ache with love. Matt..looked pretty hot when he was all menacing like that.

Mark raised his hands up in mock defeat, smiling. "Hey, hey, just an offer. I wasnt..too serious. You go have 'a nice time'. Im going to go find a very pretty lady who offered to dance with me a minute ago. If you dont mind so terribly." Mark grinned. Edd noticed his teeth were really white. Not only white, but also pretty sharp. Were they always like that? No doubt the narcissist had some work done on them.

Mark sauntered off into the crowd and Matt growled deep in his throat. He was radiating anger and it was putting Edd on edge. He took in a breath and every so-carefully traced a finger around where he knew Matt's bite mark was. Matt sucked in a sudden breath and relaxed, shivering.

"Dont do that.." Matt muttered. "I'm fine." 

"No, you arent. You look ready to kill somebody." Edd said.

"Thats the plan." Matt huffed. The tension only seemed to be growing tonight. 

Matt seemed to notice he had disgruntled Edd and he rubbed the smaller man's shoulder soothingly. Matt spotted a man dancing by himself and Edd could practically see the plan unfold in Matt's mind. Matt hopped off the stool without another word to Edd and approached the man. Edd couldnt hear what they were saying over the booming music but Matt appeared to be talking out a deal. The man was grinning and nodding. The two got closer and closer until they were practically in each other's arms. 

Matt kissed the man's cheek and Edd felt his stomach plummet.

Matt looked back at Edd and gave him an apologetic look. Right, this was buisiness. Nothing personal.

It still hurt.

The man laughed and led Matt out the front door of the pub. Matt made a motion behind his back that signaled for Edd to follow him. Edd slid off his stool and followed a few feet behind the two. 

The man stumbled out of the bar and pulled Matt into a space between the bar and another building. Edd carefully stepped into the alley after them. The man pulled Matt closer to him. Matt kissed his neck and the man giggled, exposing more of his neck for better access. Matt licked his lips. 

The man had just seemed to notice Edd and had no time to react as Matt plunged his fangs into the man's neck. Edd watched as the man's expression changed from confusion to one of absolute horror. He opened his mouth to scream in pain but only a squeak came out. Matt pushed him against the wall and put a hand over the man's mouth as he kept drinking. He pulled back, mouth covered in blood, and looked back at Edd. Edd looked a little distraught. Arms crossed, shifting weight from leg to leg, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Something the matter? Oh-sorry, this is probably terrifying..I shouldve kept a better eye on you." Matt let the man fall to the ground so he could comfort Edd. He pulled Edd into a hug, which Edd reciprocated. 

They pulled away and Edd huffed. "Im fine, just..did you have to..do it like THAT?" 

"Seduction is the easiest way to lure prey, Edd..I know, I should have warned you first. But its just an act. Promise." Matt reassured him. "Is the blood an issue? I can cup it if you want. You dont have to drink straight from-"

"That wasnt what was bothering me. Im not a child, Matt." Edd snapped. He didnt want to be snappish, but Matt hadnt talked this through with him, he was on edge, and he was hungry. He'd apologize to Matt later. He needed to feed now.

Edd walked over to the fallen man. He was still breathing shallowly. Edd raised him up a bit so he could get access to his neck. He wasnt exactly sure what to do. Matt had already done the biting, so did he just..lick it up?? No, that was weird. Edd decided to just put his mouth over the wound Matt had made and drink from that.

Once his mouth was on the cooling flesh the warm blood was in his mouth, something awoke inside Edd. Like a veil had been lifted. The warmth of the blood spread through every part of him. He felt almost alive again. He felt powerful. And it tasted so good..

 

"Edd? Edd. You can stop. Youve been feeding for almost five minutes." 

Matt's voice snapped Edd out of it. He pulled off the limp man's neck and got a head rush. Ow. 

"Whahappen?" Edd slurred.

"You just kinda..spaced. He died soon after you started feeding but you just..didnt stop." Matt kneeled next to Edd. "Do you feel ok?"

"Yea, it-it was just alot at once..you never told me it felt like that. I got lost in it." Edd explained.

"Its always a rush the first time. It gets easier the more you do it." Matt promised. Edd looked down at the limp body below them. 

"So, is that how you kill them? You just drain 'em?" Edd asked.

"Not usually. I was supposed to bring a weapon along, finish it like that. I guess I wasnt as prepared as I thought for tonight..Im really sorry, Edd. Tonight kind of sucked." Matt gave a sad chuckle.

"The only thing that 'sucked' was you, pal. We got to feed. I'd call that a success." Edd said. Matt rolled his eyes at the pun but did brighten up a bit. 

"You're right! And-hang on! I did remember one thing." Matt dug through his overcoat's pockets and pulled out a few handfuls of tissue. He wiped both Edd's face and his own and patted down any flecks of blood that stained their clothes. Edd smiled as Matt cleaned him up. 

Matt stood up and helped Edd do the same. "So..what do we do with the body?" Edd asked.

 

"Leave it. Cmon, we should get out of here." Matt urged. Edd couldnt wait to get away from this bar. Edd was led down the dark alleyway and down another as Matt cut across a backstreet. He pulled Edd along quickly, tugging just a bit too hard at his arm. Edd couldnt blame him for wanting to get away.

He remembered how Matt mentioned they could transform into bats and was about to bring it up when Matt came to a dead stop. Edd smacked into him. 

"Ow, Matt, why..?" Edd trailed off as he followed Matt's gaze. If Matt could be any paler, he would be.

A tall, blonde man had a woman pushed against the wall. His head was buried in her neck. There was a soft 'drip' as a few drops of blood slid off the man's chin. The woman's shirt was soaked through with blood.

It wasnt so much the sight that bothered the pair as it was the identity of the man.

Mark's head snapped back to face the two as Matt muttered a soft "Shit.." His eyes were a sharp red and blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth. His eyebrows were high with the shock of being caught. But he recognized the pair after a few moments and his expression softened. He let the woman fall to the ground and turned to face the two. He wiped his mouth with his hand. 

"Guess I should have fed in a more private place, hm? Gotten a room?" Mark mused. Edd stumbled over his words, sputtering a few incoherent phrases before managed to choke out a "You?!" 

"Yes, me? What, is it so hard to believe?" Mark said, he walked over to the two and his eyes zeroed in on the flecks of faded blood still on Edd's hoodie. He touched one of them (if Matt werent still in shock, he would have torn Mark's hand off) and raised the finger to his nose. He grinned. 

"Looks like all of us had a very similar evening." Mark said, looking on the faint blod still at the edges of Matt's mouth. Matt finally snapped out of his trance.

"You're-one of-? Since when??" Matt gaped. 

"Since forever. I guess you just never noticed before. Not like we 'hang out' enough to." Mark said. "Ive been a vampire even before you were."

"Wait-you knew already? About me?" Matt asked in surprise. 

"Kind of hard to miss." Mark said. "And Edd? It's obvious. You both smell like blood. And your eyes are basically headlights. Any other vampire would know in an instant." 

"You two really do have alot in common, then.." Edd muttered to himself. 

"That makes five vampires in total here! That's just ridiculous. And to think I believed I was the only one for so long.." Matt said.

"Five?" Mark asked. "No, it's just us. You, Edd, and I."

"What?" Edd asked. "How'd you reach that conclusion?"

"A vampire's scent. I've never smelled anyone other than Matt in..what, eight years? Other than you now, Edd. Vampire's scents are strong. I except you could smell me in the bar?" Mark explained.

"But if there are only three of us..then who..?" Edd felt around his bite mark.

It hit everyone at once. Oh shit.

Mark took a step back. He fucked up. He fucked up bad.

"You..you bit us?" Matt said, voice shaking. 

"I-I never realized until now-! I thought you both got bitten outside the city, thats why I never smelled anyone else!" Mark said.

"How did you not recognize us?!" Edd said, anger growing.

"I-In my defense, I never know who I'm biting! It's dark and it's usually from behind! I didnt even recognize you." Mark said. He didnt look so smug or put together now. He looked nervous. Scared.

"Three nights ago, you attacked Edd. And you didnt realize? Even for a second?" Matt asked coldly. "Do you realize how TERRIFIED we were?! How horrible it was to have to watch Edd go through that? You were right next door and you..you..

You bit me. Eight years ago. I have suffered like this for eight years. Do you not realize how cruel it is to let your victims live? You did this to me! I-I have to be like this for eternity, Mark!" Edd had never seen Matt so angry. His eyes were glowing red and full of cold fury. He was baring his fangs and had his fists balled. Edd didnt think he looked so hot this time. He just looked scary. And Edd was definitely scared.

"Matt, calm down." Mark said carefully. 

"How can- calm down?! Edd and I have to kill people for as long as we live! You ruined our lives! And you want me to just calm down?" Matt growled. His voice wasnt quite human. It reverberated in the air. Edd's eyes went wide and he took a few steps back. Matt was changing. His nails were growing into sharp claws and not only his fangs but all of his teeth were becoming sharper. White fur seemed to be sprouting all over his body. He gripped at his hair and snarled. His pointed ears grew longer and took on a yellow tint. His face shifted and morphed. His coat tore as his arms grew and webbed membranes took shape underneath. 

When Matt said vampires could transform into bats, Edd didnt think he meant like this. 

The monsterous white bat snarled and stretched it's enormous wings. Edd didnt think there was any pure Matt left in there. 

Mark's eyes shot from the Matt-Monster to Edd. He said one word to Edd before turning on his heel and sprinting away.

"Run." 

God, did Edd ever run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If youre wondering, Matt is a Honduran White Bat. Theyre adorable


	6. Run and Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> circle of friendz plays in the distance  
> This is terrible but also great  
> my sister insisted there be cuddles so ok

Edd ran, feet pounding against the ground. If he still had a heart, it would be beating in his throat. 

This was bad. Really bad.

He turned a corner and slumped against the wall. Panting, he peeked over his shoulder to see if he had ran far enough from the scene. Both figures were gone. Okay, time to assess the situation.

His vampiric love interest had just transformed into a monstrous bat and was hunting down the man who infected him in the first place. Who of which happened to be both of their neighbor. This really couldnt be worse.

Mark may have been in the wrong here. He bit both of them. But did he deserve to die at the hands of a monster? 

No one did, Edd thought. Not even Mark.

He had to find them both and end this. Mark was a reasonable guy. Edd was sure they could talk their way through this. If Mark was even still alive.

God, what if Matt did actually kill him? That form was huge. Surely Mark could transform to defend himself, right? 

Edd couldnt just sit there and wait to find out. He had to do something. He slowly stood up, still panting a bit. He carefully made his way down the alley, looking for any sign of movement. He couldnt hear anything but his shoes on the pavement. Vampires were really good at lurking and hiding. If they werent, they couldnt get their meals. Edd shuddered at the thought of one of them pouncing on him and making him a 'meal'.

He finally heard a soft noise coming from an alleyway. Edd carefully walked towards it. He knew whoever was there would be able to smell him before they saw him, but his silent movements were reassuring nonetheless. 

Halfway into the alley, he spotted a dark form. It whipped its head around and stared at Edd with red eyes. Edd took a deep breath and was relieved to find it wasnt Matt's scent.

"I told you to run!" Mark hissed, approaching Edd. Edd could see now he seemed half-transformed into a bat. He had tufts of fur around his face, his hands were clawed and sharp, and his face wasnt quite human. It was certainly a strange sight. 

"I did!" Edd whispered.

"Then why are you still here?" Mark demanded. He was scream-whispering as not to give away his position.

"Im not leaving without you. Or Matt. Im gonna get him to transform back and we're gonna have a very long talk about this." Edd said.

"This isnt the kind of thing that can be talked through, Edd. He's ready to kill me and youll end up the same way if you dont leave right now!" Mark warned. It seemed he was too loud this time. The two heard shuffling coming from somewhere and froze. Then something big and white shot down from the sky, screeching and tackling Mark. Mark growled as he finished his transformation and pushed Matt off of him. 

Matt flew back up and grabbed Mark, sinking his claws into his chest. Mark attacked Matt's shoulder and bit down hard. Matt shrieked and let go as blood soaked his fur. 

"Matt, stop!" Edd cried. Matt paid him no mind. He didnt seem to care about the distress in Edd's scent. Edd just didnt know what to do. These creatures were so much bigger and stronger than him. He didnt know how to transform and another bat joining the brawl would probably make things worse. If he didnt do something soon..

Matt ripped across one of Mark's wings, shredding the membrane. Mark let out an awful shill cry. Matt pushed him to the ground and tried to bite at Mark's neck. Mark kicked him off and got on top of him. Matt clawed at his exposed belly. Mark hissed but held fast. Matt thrashed around, trying to get ahold of him. Mark had his claws sunk into Matt's wings. If he thrashed too hard, they'd tear. 

Mark snarled a warning. Matt stilled and the two bats just stared at each other. One atop the other. Edd didnt know what was coming next.

Matt struck first, plunging into Mark's neck. Mark screamed and got off of him. Blood was pouring out of the wound. Matt's fangs were long and sharp and he had bitten really deep. Mark swayed a bit but shook himself out of it. He spread his wings and took off into the sky. He was off balance due to the tear in his wing. Matt snarled and followed him up. 

Edd was on the verge of tears. He had to do something to stop this. Why was he just standing there? This was going way too far. He had to follow them up. But how?

He spotted a ladder attached to a building and jumped onto it, climbing and slipping a few times. He pulled himself onto the rooftop and stared as the two dark figures battled. Edd looked around and found a pebble on the roof. He grabbed it and threw it at them. It seemd to hit Mark. The both of them momentarily turned to look at Edd but kept fighting. The sounds they were making were awful. Screeching and growling and whining. 

Edd needed to get their attention another way. The two flew just close enough to the building and Edd got his chance. He ran to the edge of the building and jumped off, covering as much distance as he could. He threw himself right into the two fighting monsters. They shrieked in confusion as Edd grabbed onto Matt's fur. Matt flew away from Mark and grabbed onto the back of Edd's hoodie. 

He ripped Edd off of him and threw him off. Edd landed back on the rooftop hard. He groaned in pain. Everything hurt. As he groveled in pain and curled up into himself, his scent became stronger. It reeked of pain and need. It was one Matt couldnt ignore. 

He finally seemed to recognize the scent and he sniffed the air. The monster swooped down to find the source and found Edd crumpled up in a heap. Something pushed past his carnal urges and he blinked a few times. Mark swooped down next to him, also distracted by the scent.

"Rhhd?" Matt growled in a questioning tone. Edd gave a chuckle at the pronounciation of his name but regretted it as his ribs ached. Matt nuzzled against Edd's neck, scenting him. It ebbed away at Edd's fear but his pain remained. Matt regained more of his consciousness as Edd put a hand on his face. Mark was watching this all with great interest. There didnt seem much of a threat left as his opponent was preoccupied, so he started to shift back. 

Matt did the same and he was just starting to realize what he had done. 

"Edd..?" He muttered, only half human. Edd smiled and stroked his face.

"Yeah, its me." Edd said soothingly. Matt could now see the full extent of Edd's injuries. He didnt look good. Edd didnt feel good. Did the world always spin like that?

"Edd? Wait, Edd!" Matt cried as Edd lost consciousness.

 

"Edd? Can you hear me?" Someone asked. They seemed a great distance away. He fluttered his eyelashes and slowly opened his eyes. The room was blurry but he could see three figures standing over him. He blinked a few times and saw it was Tom, Matt, and Tord. Each of them looked worried. Matt had bandages over his chest and neck. Edd slowly propped himself up on his elbows. He seemed to be in his room. He could see he had some bandages of his own. The arm that was torn into last night had a cast over it.

He was still in pain but it wasnt as bad. He was surprised to see someone else sitting in the corner. Mark. He looked as torn up as the rest of them.

"How do you feel?" Tord asked softly.

"Um..I'm ok. Sore." Edd said.

"Im not surprised. You got it really rough..you're lucky vampires have a healing factor." Matt sighed.

"And you neglected to mention that why?" Edd grumbled, rubbing his head. His whole body ached.

"Slipped my mind? Um, I just never thought youd need to know. I didnt really expect you to get mortally wounded." Matt said sheepishly.

"Mortally wounded?" Edd questioned.

"From what Matt explained, you fell pretty far, Edd. Like, death-range far." Tom said. 

"If you were still a human, then..well..you can guess." Matt said. 

"I didnt think it was that far. I mean, I was trying to save you both, depth perception didnt really matter to me then." Edd said. "Wait-you already told them?" 

"We know everything, yes." Tord said. He didnt look pleased at all. Looks like theyd be having a housemate chat to chase the talk Edd already planned with Mark.

As if he could read Edd's mind, Matt spoke up. "Is..it ok if you two go for a bit, Tom? Tord? I mean, if Edd's feeling ok..we need to talk about something." 

"Yes. We do." Mark spoke up. He had been silent until now.

Tom nodded and the two left the room without another room. Mark stood up and walked over to Edd's bed. Edd scooted over to make room but he didn't take the offered seat. 

"So, Matt." Mark said in a buisiness-like tone.

"I dont think you're in any position to speak first here." Matt reprimanded.

"Matt's right. He should go first, so he can apologize." Edd snipped. Matt looked appalled but faltered under Edd's dark glare.

"Okay..I really do regret what I did last night. It was stupid. And dangerous. Edd got really hurt" Matt said. Mark motioned to his cast, sneering.

"Alright, alright, we all got hurt. I shouldn't have freaked out like that. But you know why I did! Isnt it at least a little bit understandable as to why I did what I did?" Matt said.

"Yes, it's understandable. But you still shouldnt have done it." Mark said.

"He shouldnt have, but if it werent for you, he wouldnt have." Edd said. Mark huffed.

"I know. But it's my nature. Your nature. What am I supposed to do? Apologize for being a vampire? Apologize for, what, existing?" 

Matt and Edd didnt know what to say to that. So Mark continued on,

"Vampires dont normally run into their prey again. It was pure coincidence. I didnt know you at the time, Matt, and I wouldn't have bitten Edd if I knew it was him. You two also happened to be the only times I let my prey go. I normally drain them dry. It could have been much, much worse. Consider that." 

The two remained silent. Matt sighed and ran his hands through his tussled hair.

"I was trying to protect Edd. That was my only thought. When I realized you did that to him, I just didnt want him to get hurt again. I thought of how much pain he was in and just.." Matt said. "That with how I felt when I was bit was just too much. Im really sorry."

"You..you were trying to protect me?" Edd asked. "But you didnt answer when I called you."

"I wasnt fully in control." Matt said.

"And because of that, you hurt him. So much for protecting." Mark said.

"I guess we all messed up." Edd said. 

"I guess." Matt said.

"So lets not do it again." Mark proposed. "I see no problem with us remaining..friends. I think our relationship will actually benefit from us being vampires. If we scent each other then we'll be safer. And we can feed more often in a group. " 

"But-uhm-scenting is kind of..intimate." Matt said unsurely. 

"Only if you make it like that. Think of it as sharing cologne." Mark said.

"Hmph.." Matt said. He didnt seem to keen on having Mark's scent on Edd. Edd, however, looked intruiged by the prospect of having meals more often.

"Okay, deal! On one condition." Edd said. Mark frowned. 

"What's that?" He asked.

"No one mentions how we got bitten. We cant function as a group if you two have this whole grudge thing going on." Edd said. Matt looked at Mark unsurely. 

After a bit of coercing, Edd got two twin groans of 'fiiiiine'. He smiled, flashing his fangs. Looks like they were a pack now.

Mark left after he finally convinced Matt that the scenting was a good idea and theyd do it whenever he was comfortable. Edd was sure he was already thinking of ways to postpone it. Edd walked back to his room, peeling off some of his bandages. Matt was right about that healing factor. 

He was about to open the door when be bumped into Tord, who hadnt seen him. They both stumbled and Edd nearly fell.

"Agh-sorry, sorry." Tord said.

"It's fine." Edd promised. Tord looked to the floor for a few seconds.

"Maybe its a good thing I bumpd into you. I, uh..want to apologize. For yesterday." Tord said. Memories of yesterday evening flooded Edd's mind and he huffed in embarrasment. He had nearly drank Tord's blood and then what would have happened?

"I manipulated you into it. I knew you were hungry. It was selfish of me to do. Im really sorry, Edd. It was quite inappropriate of me." Tord said.

"Well, Im glad you know it was wrong. If I did drink from you I dont think you'd still be here." Edd said, remembering what happened when he had tasted that stranger's blood. He would have drained Tord dry. 

"I know, I know. I just wanted to-connect us, I guess? It was really fucked up of me.." Tord looked thoroughly embarrassed by his actions. 

"Tord, it's fine. I already forgive you." Edd said.

"You shouldnt." Tord sighed. 

"But I do! So looks like you're out of luck, pal." Edd grinned. Tord cracked a smile.

"Thank you for understanding..um, I need to go make dinner." Tord suddenly glowered. "Oh, and Tom took all the bacon when we were divying the food. Im gonna kill him someday, I swear it." 

Edd laughed. "Wait, you already cleaned out the fridge and everything? Oh god. What'd you find in there?"

"Something I think was once human." Tord said, looking haunted. He wasnt joking. Edd still laughed.

"You enjoy your old human. And dont burn the house down with your bacon wars." Edd said. He went back into his room and flopped down on the bed. He unrolled the bandage that covered his arm and rolled over into a more comfortable position. He glanced at his clock to see it was nearly 6 pm. Looks like he was turning in early.

He tossed and turned for almost an hour before he decided that he wasnt getting any sleep like this. What was wrong with him?

He clutched the blankets and realized that he was lonely. He needed someone to cuddle with. Preferrably someone with red hair.

He got up and walked around the house, seeking out Matt's scent. It wasnt hard to find. It was sweet and light. Matt was in his room, cleaning one of his numerous mirrors. 

"Oh, hi, Edd!" Matt greeted. "Something wrong?"

"I need a cuddle." Edd said simply. Matt smiled. He loved how snuggly Edd was now. He opened his arms and Edd practically jumped into them. Matt laid him down and hugged him. Edd liked it, even if Matt wasnt warm.

"Hey, Matt." Edd said.

"Mm?" Matt asked.

"Do..you think you could transform? Into your bat form? I think it'd be really cute when you're not in a monstrous rage." Edd said.

"Oh!" Matt said, surprised by the question. "It'd be kind of hard..it's brought on by survival instincts. Its not really on purpose. But I can try." 

Matt slid off the bed, standing up.   
"Um..I need to strip a little. I dont wanna ruin these clothes. Is that ok?"   
Edd nodded and Matt pulled his shirt off. God did he have a nice body. Edd looked away, embarrassed.

Matt slowly started to shift. It was quite similar to last night, but with less screaming and growling. Webbing flowed out from his arms as his hands stretched to accomadate the wings. He cracked his neck and licked his maw. Before long a giant white bat was standing in front of Edd. Matt hopped onto the bed and chirped. Edd giggled and pet his head. Matt would have purred if he could. 

Edd moved his hand further to pet behind Matt's ears and scratched a GOOD spot. The scritchy spot. Matt made a series of happy chirps and kicked his leg. He seemed to melt into the bed until he looked like a big pile of fur. He stuck his tongue out and looked up at Edd. He was adorable. 

Edd layed down next to him and cuddled up to the big bat. Matt wrapped a wing around Edd protectively. Edd hummed and snuggled up further. He discovered something incredible.

Matt was actually warm. Edd gave a small smile as he hugged the monster. He was warm and comfy and sleepy. He drifted off before long, lulled by Matt's deep breathing.

 

"Hey Matt, can you come to help us with th-?" Tom froze as he walked into Matt's dark room. Edd was cuddled up to what seemed to be a white fluffy pillow. One that was breathing. 

Was that Matt? He looked like a weird pillow pet. Tom slowly shut the door, deciding he absolutely did not want to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If youre reading this pat ily

**Author's Note:**

> im gonna finish this  
> yea  
> yeaaaaaaaa  
> i fuel this goddamn fanfic tag fuck y


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